a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for carbonating water, more particularly to such an apparatus and method where the carbonating is carried on in a manner that after carbonating, a syrup or other additive can be promptly mixed in with the carbonated water to rapidly provide the carbonated beverage.
b) Background Art
Most often, carbonated beverages are placed in a bottle or can at the place of manufacture. When it is desired to drink the beverage, the person simply opens the can or bottle and then drinks the beverage directly from the can or bottle or from a glass into which it is poured. However, storing these beverage containers in any quantity can be something of an inconvenience for a family, particularly where the beverage is stored in a refrigerator or the like.
Accordingly, there have been designs to provide an apparatus where the water for the carbonated beverage could be carbonized away from the manufacturing location of the beverage. The beverage that is so carbonated could be either stored for later use, or immediately mixed with a syrup to make a flavored beverage, such as a soft drink or a beer, at the time the carbonated beverage is made. Further, some of these designs have been proposed for home use.
A search of the patent literature has disclosed the following:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,548,828 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,481,986 (both issued to Meyers) show a carbonization apparatus where there is a container 18 of water which is placed upside down onto a base 12 so that the end cap on the water container is facing downwardly. A bottle 22 of compressed carbon dioxide is also placed upside down on the container, and positioned upside down on the base, and there is a mechanism for opening the valve on the bottle of carbon dioxide to cause the pressurized carbon dioxide to flow through a passage in the base and through a stem into the container 18. The gas bubbles separately upwardly in the container, and at the base portion of the container (which is now in an upward position), there is a release valve where carbon dioxide can be selectively vented, thus causing more carbon dioxide to flow upwardly through the water, agitating the water and causing yet further carbonization of the water. When the bottle is removed from its position on the base, the cap closes to stop water from leaking. Also, a control valve 56 automatically moves to a closed position to stop further flow of carbon dioxide.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,526,730 (Cochran et al) shows a home carbonating apparatus where a block-like apparatus 10 is threaded onto the top of a beverage container, and a container of carbon dioxide is connected to a passageway in the apparatus 10 to lead to a tube and into the beverage container. In one embodiment, there is a small cartridge which is pierced as it is moved into the block. There is an alternative embodiment where a valve lever opens the pressurized carbon dioxide container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,081 (Mabb) shows an apparatus for aerating liquids where there is a bottle of a compressed gas 7 positioned in a housing. A liquid container is positioned in the housing, and raised by a platform 15 upwardly where it comes into engagement with a seal 16. There is an operating button 9 at the top of the housing which is depressed to open the valve of the pressurized container of gas, causing it to flow through the hollow rod 12 to deliver gas into the liquid contained in the bottle. To remove the bottle from the apparatus there is a cam member 22 which is moved to lower the platform 15, thus permitting the upper part 4 of the housing to be rotated so that the bottle can be removed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,391,762 (child et al) shows an aerated drink machine where a bottle 10 is positioned in the machine, and there is a member 13 which is inserted downwardly in the neck of the bottle to raise the liquid level in the bottle. A lever 31 is operated to open the valve 29 to cause a gas flow through the member 13 into the liquid so that it bubbles up and escapes through an annular space between the nozzle and an aperture 15a in the stopper. With the member 13 in the bottle containing the liquid, there is very little air left in the bottle, and less of the carbon dioxide is not dissipated.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,342,710 (Adolfsson et al) shows an apparatus for aerating beverages where there is a stand 2 with a space to receive a glass bottle 4. Positioned above the bottle 4 is a bursting protection member 15 which is moved downwardly to enclose the bottle 4, position a dispensing pipe in the bottle, and also to cause a rubber cone seal 20 to close the top of the bottle. There is positioned alongside the bottle a container of carbon dioxide. A valve 11 is operated by an arm 12 to actuate a pin to permit carbon dioxide to flow through the hose 10 into a cylinder space 14 from which the gas flows through the pipe 9 into the container 4.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,304,741 (Abison et al) shows what is called a "gas injection apparatus" for injecting carbon dioxide gas into a bottle 5 to make "fizzy" drinks in the home or other small establishments. There is a platform 4 to support the bottle and a housing member 2 which is pivoted to a base member so that when the apparatus is open, the bottle can be placed upon, or removed from the platform. When the platform is closed, a dip tube 9 penetrates through the opening at the top of the bottle to permit the injection of gas from the cylinder containing the pressurized carbon dioxide. There is a control lever 11 to open the valve of the cylinder and cause the carbon dioxide to flow into the bottle containing the beverage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,298,551 (Adolfsson et al) shows an apparatus for aerating a beverage where there is positioned within a housing a pressurized bottle containing carbon dioxide and a beverage container. The upper part of the beverage container is closed by a stopper, and there is a flexible diaphragm surrounding the stopper. A space formed above the diaphragm communicates with the interior of the bottle when the bottle has the stopper in its neck. Thus, the pressure of the carbon dioxide in the bottle urges the stopper into the engagement with the neck of the bottle. There is an overpressure safety valve in communication with the space above the diaphragm.
It's an object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus and method which has a desirable balance of features, relative to effectively accomplishing the carbonating, enabling the mixing of the carbonated water with a syrup or other flavoring agent to be accomplished conveniently, and also providing a system that is both safe and reliable.